Page 864: Accepting The Cage:

Gately - in hospital and coming out of his bullet-induced fevers - has just finished fantasizing about possible marital bliss with Madame Joelle but catches himself. He knows that first-off staff should never cavort with residents. That is weak. But second off - and weaker - is that through his love for Joelle he is looking to escape, to get out - and there is no Out when you are an admitted alcoholic - when you have accepted The Way, The Steps:

"...wanting somebody else to take care of his mess, somebody else to keep him out of his various cages. It's the same delusion as the basic addictive-substance-delusion, basically. His eyes roll up in his head at disgust with himself, and stay there."

Could this be instructive to the GymTeacher? Should the GymTeacher simply accept the cage of the Education Ministry - and other cages - and instead of eternally longing to get Out, make the best, the most of The In?

Like Gately?

Hmm - Gately is seeming like more than just the "hero" many people make him out to be. He has a fortitude and a philosophy that I am tempted to say is Christ-like. But this is no longer a Christo-centric world. There are probably other great spiritual figures from other faiths to compare him to. Ah - let's not get all religious here (though at some point we are going to have figure out what DFW intended by the appearnce to Gately of the Wraith (how could Gately make up the story of a James Incandenza he didn't know?) let's just call him, Gately, a god. Bigger than heroic. Especially if his philosophy is strong enough to deprive himself of almost irresistable Joelle.